Umar Akmal was fined 20 percent of his match fee for violating the team’s curfew

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has been fined 20 percent of his match fee from the fifth ODI against Australia in Dubai on Sunday for breaking the team’s curfew ahead of the match.

Akmal is believed to have attended a concert by American singer Akon on Friday night without obtaining permission to do so by the team management.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that Akmal pleaded guilty to violating the team’s curfew and agreed to the sanction proposed by team manager Talat Ali.

“I am glad that Umar has realised his mistake, and has accepted and apologised for his actions, which were clearly unprofessional and in no way can be ignored or overlooked,” PCB managing director Wasim Khan was quoted as saying by the board’s website.

“The PCB expects a high level of professionalism and commitment from its players, and this action is a reiteration and timely reminder that any indiscipline shall not be tolerated or accepted.”

The fine is yet another setback for Akmal, who made his comeback to the ODI squad for the recently concluded series against Australia.

Akmal was recalled based on his performance for the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he scored 277 runs in 12 matches, which included two half-centuries, at an average of 34.62.

In the series against Australia, Akmal accumulated 150 runs at an average of 30.

In addition to making his comeback, Akmal also seemed to have made amends with head coach Mickey Arthur as the duo had a frosty relationship in the past.

In August 2017, Akmal claimed that Arthur verbally abused him and banned him from training at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

However, throughout the ODI series against Australia, they were seen sharing light moments.